Death toll in stone quarry collapse in UP climbs to 6

Sonbhadra (UP), Nov 17 (PTI) Five more bodies have been recovered from the rubble of a stone quarry that collapsed in Uttar Pradesh's Sonbhadra district, taking the death toll to six, an official said on Monday.

District Magistrate, Sonbhadra, BN Singh said the bodies were recovered on the intervening night of Sunday and Monday.

"One body was recovered in the night. The deceased was identified as Indrajit (30), a resident of Panari, Obra. The other deceased persons have been identified as Santosh Yadav (30), brother of Indrajit, Ravindra alias Nanak (18), Ramkhelavan (32) and Kripashankar." The body of Raju Singh (30) was recovered on Sunday.

Uttar Pradesh minister and local MLA Sanjeev Kumar Gond, who visited the spot in the Billi Markundi mining area after the collapse on Saturday evening, said, "Around a dozen labourers might be trapped under the debris".

Additional Director General of Police (ADG), Varanasi Zone, Piyush Mordia on Sunday said clearing the rubble is taking time due to presence of several heavy stones.

Sonbhadra Superintendent of Police (SP) Abhishek Verma had said they were informed about the incident around 4.30 pm on Saturday at Obra police station.

The caller said several workers were buried under debris after a portion of a stone quarry operated by Krishna Mining Works collapsed.

The police have booked the owner of Krishna Mining Works and his business partners, Madhusudan Singh and Dilip Keshari, both residents of Obra, on the complaint of Chhotu Yadav -- a resident of Parsoi Tola -- who said his two brothers were trapped under the rubble, the SP said.

The three accused are yet to be arrested.

Samajwadi Party's Robertsganj MP, Chotelal Kharwar, alleged that the mine was illegally run by mafia in collusion with local police.

"There is a possibility that 12 to 15 people are trapped under the stones. Tribals are being killed in many ways, and large-scale illegal mining is being carried out in this area. One or two such incidents occur every month in this region, but how the mining mafia manages everything remains unknown," he said.

Illegal mining is being carried out in collusion with the police and administrative officials, the MP alleged.

Kharwar claimed he was stopped by the police from meeting the kin of the trapped mine workers.

He also demanded Rs 50 lakh in compensation for the victim's family and a government job for each family. PTI COR NAV ARB ARB